It is well known in vehicle body construction to provide a front end and a body, which are mounted to a vehicle frame. The body typically includes a longitudinally-extending member, or shotgun, for attachment to an exterior side of an A-pillar section of the body. Typically, this front-end to body-side joint further includes one or more reinforcement plates coupled to an interior side of the A-pillar section. These reinforcement plates are utilized for reinforcing the A-pillar section and supporting one or more door hinges disposed at or adjacent to the joint.
It would be desirable to provide a front-end to body-side joint for enhancing reliability of manufacture, increasing the rigidity of the vehicle body, reducing the number of components, minimizing manufacturing cycle time, and decreasing costs associated therewith.